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Kalihi Kai Elementary School

Q: Is Kalihi Kai Elementary School a good school?

Kalihi Kai Elementary School ranks 93 rd of 203 Hawaii elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

93^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 203 Hawaii Elementary Schools

Better than 54% of Hawaii elementary schools

Summary

Kalihi Kai Elementary School is a PK–5 public school at 626 McNeill St in Honolulu, HI, serving 533 students as part of the Hawaii Department of Education — the largest enrollment among its nearby Kalihi-area peers. In 2025–2026 it ranked 93rd of 203 ranked Hawaii elementary schools, placing it at the 54th percentile with a 3-star rating, above the statewide median. That reflects real long-term improvement: the school sat in the low 30s in percentile rank in the late 2010s and reached the 57th percentile in 2023–2024.

Academically, Kalihi Kai's 2025–2026 proficiency rates are 50% in English Language Arts, 50% in Mathematics, and 53% in Science — all above the nearby averages of roughly 45%, 43%, and 46%. Math has climbed from 43% in 2022–2023 to 50% now. Chronic absenteeism fell from 20.2% to 16.0% in 2024–2025, far below the nearby average of about 25.6% and lower than most neighbors. The most striking comparison is with Kalihi Waena Elementary School, 0.66 miles away: it has nearly the same free/reduced-lunch rate (65.28%) and student–teacher ratio (14.1), yet Kalihi Kai outperforms it by 9 points in ELA, 19 in Math, and 18 in Science, with absenteeism of 16.0% versus 28.0%. Kapalama Elementary School, Lanakila Elementary School, and Major General William R Shafter Elementary School post higher test scores, but Shafter serves a much less economically disadvantaged population.

Subgroup results are mixed. English Language Learners rank at the 75th percentile (4 stars), Special Education students at the 59th percentile — both above the school's overall 54th-percentile standing — while low-income students are near average at 55th. Asian and Pacific Islander subgroups rank lower, at the 26th and 27th percentiles, which stands out against an otherwise solid profile. With 533 students in larger classes than most neighbors (student–teacher ratio 13.6) and 64.73% of students economically disadvantaged, Kalihi Kai posts above-average nearby results, making it an above-median, steadily improving school.

533

Students ?

13.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

64.7%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

626 McNeill St
Honolulu, HI 96817

(808) 832-3322

District: Hawaii Department of Education

Students who attend Kalihi Kai Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	King David Kalakaua Middle School
High:	Governor Wallace Rider Farrington High School

Racial breakdown:

Asian:

70.9%

Pacific Islander:

16.5%

Two or more races:

7.1%

See top rated Hawaii elementary schools

Compare Kalihi Kai Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 32nd percentile in 2016 → 54th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 22 percentile points since 2016

✓Above the Hawaii median (54th percentile)

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school51%

93^rd of 203

Hawaii public elementary schools ?

Top 46%▲ up 22 pts since 2016

From bottom 32% (2016) to top 46% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Hawaii Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 1Hawaii Department of Education among Hawaii districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2026	60.1	93 of 203	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	50.4	108 of 204	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	62.0	89 of 207	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.0	101 of 195	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.2	122 of 193	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.7	107 of 196	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	50.0	99 of 196	49.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	33.1	135 of 193	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2017	38.9	141 of 207	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2016	35.2	132 of 195	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2015	33.0	135 of 194	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2013	14.1	186 of 196	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	19.2	177 of 195	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	14.0	181 of 191	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	16.3	165 of 183	9.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	17.8	170 of 191	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	20.5	125 of 146	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	25.1	158 of 192	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	25.3	161 of 194	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2024	95.6	3 of 160	98.1%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2026	30.5	96 of 130	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	7.3	121 of 125	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	28.7	171 of 203	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2026	80.6	29 of 116	75.0%	★★★★☆
2025	67.7	50 of 123	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	73.1	74 of 198	62.6%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2026	59.2	91 of 202	55.0%	★★★☆☆

Pacific Islander

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2026	32.4	84 of 115	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.3	88 of 110	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	39.3	134 of 196	31.6%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2026	57.9	63 of 155	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	41.8	102 of 153	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.4	126 of 207	39.1%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2024	48.1	127 of 202	37.1%	★★☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

African American (2024)98th percentile+41 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)75th percentile+21 vs school

Special Education (2026)59th percentile+5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)55th percentile~ school

White (2024)37th percentile-20 vs school

Pacific Islander (2026)27th percentile-27 vs school

Asian (2026)26th percentile-28 vs school

By subject vs Hawaii (2025-2026) ?

Science53%

English Language Arts50%

Mathematics50%

★

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Schools Near Kalihi Kai Elementary School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				HSA Science (2026)	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts (2026)	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	HSA Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Kalihi Kai Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	626 McNeill St	Honolulu	96817	Honolulu County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 832-3322	533	39	13.6	64.7%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (5.4%)	378 (70.9%)	0 (0.0%)	88 (16.5%)	38 (7.1%)	60.1	93^rd of 203 public elementary schools	54.2%		50.4	108^th of 204 public elementary schools	47.1%	15	53.0	50.0	50.0	$17,912	$1,974	$15,938
Puuhale Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	345 Puuhale Rd	Honolulu	96819	Honolulu County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 832-3190	239	19	12.5	84.5%	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (9.6%)	68 (28.5%)	0 (0.0%)	128 (53.6%)	19 (7.9%)	54.5	102^nd of 203 public elementary schools	49.8%		46.2	114^th of 204 public elementary schools	44.1%	12	73.0	43.0	37.0	$19,790	$2,507	$17,283
Kalihi Waena Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1240 Gulick Ave	Honolulu	96819	Honolulu County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 832-3210	432	31	14.1	65.3%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.5%)	180 (41.7%)	0 (0.0%)	192 (44.4%)	45 (10.4%)	27.6	157^th of 203 public elementary schools	22.7%		20.8	164^th of 204 public elementary schools	19.6%	7	35.0	41.0	31.0	$17,807	$1,789	$16,018
Princess Victoria Kaiulani Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	783 North King St	Honolulu	96817	Honolulu County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 832-3160	244	20	12.2	78.7%	2 (0.8%)	2 (0.8%)	12 (4.9%)	81 (33.2%)	0 (0.0%)	118 (48.4%)	29 (11.9%)	13.8	182^nd of 203 public elementary schools	10.3%		17.8	172^nd of 204 public elementary schools	15.7%	10	22.0	32.0	26.0	$18,513	$1,942	$16,571
Kapalama Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1601 North School St	Honolulu	96817	Honolulu County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 832-3290	476	37	12.8	56.3%	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	58 (12.2%)	291 (61.1%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (10.5%)	74 (15.5%)	67.3	77^th of 203 public elementary schools	62.1%		70.5	75^th of 204 public elementary schools	63.2%	2	59.0	52.0	53.0	$15,866	$1,539	$14,327
Linapuni Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-1	1434 Linapuni St	Honolulu	96819	Honolulu County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 832-3303	121	10	12.1	86.8%	2 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (4.1%)	2 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	103 (85.1%)	9 (7.4%)								(n/a)				$22,013	$1,530	$20,483
Mayor Joseph J Fern Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1121 Middle St	Honolulu	96819	Honolulu County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 832-3040	384	32	12.0	74.0%	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	16 (4.2%)	126 (32.8%)	0 (0.0%)	199 (51.8%)	42 (10.9%)	26.2	162^nd of 203 public elementary schools	20.2%		20.5	165^th of 204 public elementary schools	19.1%	3	29.0	40.0	35.0	$17,487	$1,896	$15,591
Princess Miriam K Likelike Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1618 Palama St	Honolulu	96817	Honolulu County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 832-3370	227	19	11.9	74.0%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (8.8%)	94 (41.4%)	0 (0.0%)	84 (37.0%)	29 (12.8%)	29.4	149^th of 203 public elementary schools	26.6%		53.3	102^nd of 204 public elementary schools	50.0%	47	30.0	41.0	38.0	$18,177	$1,768	$16,409
Lanakila Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	717 North Kuakini St	Honolulu	96817	Honolulu County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 587-4466	287	22	13.0	67.2%	6 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (5.2%)	147 (51.2%)	0 (0.0%)	94 (32.8%)	25 (8.7%)	81.6	48^th of 203 public elementary schools	76.4%		71.5	71^st of 204 public elementary schools	65.2%	23	57.0	64.0	68.0	$17,018	$1,898	$15,120
Major General William R Shafter Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	2 Fort Shafter	Honolulu	96819	Honolulu County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	No	(808) 832-3560	380	28	13.5	25.8%	133 (35.0%)	56 (14.7%)	93 (24.5%)	23 (6.1%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.6%)	65 (17.1%)	86.5	32^nd of 203 public elementary schools	84.2%		77.8	56^th of 204 public elementary schools	72.5%	24	66.0	67.0	64.0	$16,290	$787	$15,503

Frequently Asked Questions about Kalihi Kai Elementary School

How many students attend Kalihi Kai Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 533 students attended Kalihi Kai Elementary School.

What district is Kalihi Kai Elementary School in?

Hawaii Department of Education

What schools do graduates of Kalihi Kai Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Kalihi Kai Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : King David Kalakaua Middle School
High : Governor Wallace Rider Farrington High School

What is the racial makeup of Kalihi Kai Elementary School?

Students at Kalihi Kai Elementary School are 71% Asian, 17% Pacific Islander, 7% Two or more races, 5% Hispanic.

Is Kalihi Kai Elementary School a good school?

Kalihi Kai Elementary School ranks 93^rd of 203 Hawaii elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Kalihi Kai Elementary School!

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Latest Hawaii data All new data »

2025–26 graduation ratesSep 19, 2026

2025–26 HSA & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresSep 19, 2026

2024–25 attendance data & graduation ratesSep 18, 2025

2024–25 HSA & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresSep 18, 2025

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Hawaii State Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.